PERTH & KINROSS COUNCIL Housing and Community Safety
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NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED PERTH & KINROSS COUNCIL Housing and Community Safety Committee Report by Chief Superintendent Paul Anderson (Interim Update – 1st January – 31st March 2018) NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED 1 NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED Contents Background to this Report page 3 Local Policing Priority Updates: Putting Victims at the heart of what we do page 4 Tackling Crime and ASB pages 5-6 Protecting Vulnerable People pages 7-8 Maintaining Public Safety pages 9-10 NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED 2 NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED BACKGROUND TO THIS REPORT As from April 2013, the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 has required Police Scotland to produce and publish a Local Policing Plan (LPP) for each local authority area. The LPP clearly sets out the policing priorities for Perth and Kinross. Performance in relation to the identified policing priorities is monitored and reviewed internally on a weekly basis. Quarterly reports are produced to allow scrutiny by Perth and Kinross Council Housing and Community Safety Committee. This report covers the period from 1st January to 31st March and provides a synopsis of our performance against the Local Policing Plan priorities for Perth and Kinross, these priorities being Putting Victims at the heart of what we do, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, protecting vulnerable people and maintaining public safety. NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED 3 NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED Putting Victims At The Heart of What We Do Domestic violence is a priority investigation for Police Scotland and are supported by partners in relation to the investigation and protection of victims. In January 2018 the Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit reported a male from Aberfeldy for historical incidents against his former partner. Due to the level of risk to the victim, they have been assessed as High Risk for being a repeat victim by the former partner and appropriate preventative measures have been put in place. Online criminality including fraud and sexual based crimes continue to be reported across Perthshire and Community Officers in North Perthshire continue to reinforce the preventative message by identifying and visiting groups and organisations to reinforce good practice in relation to on line security. Visits and inputs have been delivered to groups including students at Lip Reading classes, various Banks and Building Societies aimed at times where they could engage with the elderly members of the community, The Boys Brigade, and S1 & S2 pupils within the areas High Schools. Hate crimes have a detrimental impact on victims and as such Police Scotland with the assistance of partners ensure that reports are fully investigated. One such incident took place on public transport with service bus between Inverness and Edinburgh whereby a 19 year old female was the subject of racial abuse from a 52 year old male from Thurso. The prompt actions of witnesses led to Police Scotland tracing the male who appeared at Court the following day. Officers across Perth and Kinross provided educational inputs within schools on Tuesday 6th February, recognising the contribution to the Safer Internet Day. Inputs were warmly received across the schools who participated in the event. Officers based within the Perth and Kinross Community Hub held a stall at the Dementia Awareness Café in Perth speaking with and offering advice and support to vulnerable individuals and their carer’s. The session was well received, allowing positive community engagement and also the opportunity to network with professionals from other organisations, improving knowledge of services available. Perth and Kinross Community Hub teamed up with Trading Standards and Social Services in Perth and Kinross to deliver a presentation on financial harm/ bogus callers to elderly residents of a local housing association in Perth. The residents were anxious about the perceived increase of this type of crime and were seeking advice and guidance on how best to manage instances which they become involved in through telephone calls/persons attending at their home or contact online. A further event also took place within Santander Bank, High Street, Perth. The purpose of the event was to educate customers on the various tactics that criminals use to coerce unsuspecting members of the public to divulge personal information for the purposes of fraud. The events were all well received demonstrating to the public that agencies are working well together to reduce the impact of Financial Harm in the community. Between 22 and 27 March 2018, two separate reports of a male indecently exposing himself in the Oakbank area of Perth were received by Police Scotland. Officers from the Community Investigation Unit carried out high visibility patrols in the area and on 28 March 2018, a male was traced and arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure and was interviewed and thereafter held in custody to appear at Perth Sheriff Court. NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED 4 NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED Tackling Crime and ASB Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour are key priorities for Perth and Kinross LPA. By swiftly responding to anti-social behaviour we understand that it will prevent repetition of incidents. On 3rd January 2018, an operation at HMP Perth supported by partners led to 7 persons searched - 1 refused entry. 1 male found in possession of heroin and 1 female found in possession of cannabis. Officers in Blairgowrie received information that prohibited weapons (not firearms) were being imported from abroad. As a result of enquiries an individual was identified and traced. A number of prohibited weapons were recovered and enquiry continues to have the matter reported. In similar circumstances intelligence was received that an individual had imported from abroad an item that could be readily adaptable as a firearm. Local officers along with fire arms enquiry officers made enquiry, recovered the items and the matter is under consideration for prosecution. In January 2018, Police Scotland received information to suggest a male from Perth was soaking sweets in cannabis oil and posting orders throughout the United Kingdom. As a result of the information the Community Investigation Unit, craved and executed a drug search warrant at an address in Perth. During the search of the address, 500g of cannabis and over £12000 in cash was recovered, along with boxes of sweets, which were suspected to be soaked in cannabis oil. The male and female occupants of the address were arrested for being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. Local officers supported by officers from the CIU craved and secured a drug search warrant for an address in Stanley where intelligence provided prescription drugs were being imported from abroad. Drugs were intercepted and prevented from distribution into the community, the suspect was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for similar crime committed previously. Following on from drug enforcement activity in Aberfeldy last year officers again sourced intelligence that provided for the craving and granting of a Drugs search warrant for premises in Aberfeldy. As a result a person was subject of a report to the Fiscal. In addition, and with assistance from the community who were reporting anti-social behaviour, two drugs search warrants were executed in East Perthshire. Occasionally, these type of operations can lead to other offences being uncovered and one of these operations did indeed have a similar result as stolen property, which was not reported by the owner, had been recovered at the address. On Friday 09 February 2018, officers from the Perth City Community Policing Team, working in partnership with officers from the Perth Community Investigation Unit, attended the Drumchapel area of Glasgow in order to execute an evidence search warrant in respect of a complex Perth based investigation into organised criminality. During the execution of the search warrant a 1.1 kilograms of heroin, with a potential illicit value of £100,000 were recovered. The case was handed over to the Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit and a 39 year old male has now been reported to the Crown Office and Procurators Fiscal Service for being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. During February 2018, a series of vandalism occurred in the Kinnoull area of Perth. The enquiry was passed to the Community Investigation Unit and two youths were identified as being responsible. The youths were reported to the Youth Justice Accessor, which resulted in one youth being given a Police Warning and the other was reported to the Children’s Reporter. NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED 5 NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED On Saturday 03 March 2018 officers from the Perth City Community Policing Team, acting on intelligence received, executed a drug search warrant in the Tulloch area of Perth whereby 545 grams of herbal cannabis with a potential illicit value of £5450, and a large amount of cash was recovered. A 28 year old male and a 27 year old female were arrested for being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs and both appeared on petition and Perth Sheriff Court. On Saturday 03 March 2018 officers from the Perth City Community Policing Team were on pro- active patrol in Perth City Centre paying particular attention to an off-license premises where persons were believed to be purchasing alcohol for consumption by children. A male was stopped entering the premises by the community officers and found to be in possession of an alcohol shopping list and cash. A 46 year old male has been reported to the Crown Office and Procurators Fiscal Service for offences contrary to the Licensing Scotland Act. On Friday 09 March 2018 officers from the Perth City Community Policing Team, acting on intelligence received, executed a drugs search warrant in Perth City Centre whereby 171 grams of class B herbal cannabis with a potential illicit value of £1710, 1 gram of class A MDMA crystals and 14 class A ecstasy tablets were recovered.